Biography
Idi Amin Dada (circa 1925 – 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military leader who served as President from 1971 to 1979. He enlisted in the British colonial King's African Rifles in 1946 and rose to the rank of Major General and Commander of the Ugandan Army before seizing power in a military coup in January 1971, overthrowing Milton Obote. During his rule, Amin appointed himself Field Marshal.
His regime was marked by widespread human rights violations, political oppression, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings, nepotism, corruption, and severe economic mismanagement. Estimates by international observers and human rights organizations suggest that between 100,000 and 500,000 people died under his rule. Amin received support from Libya's Muammar al-Gaddafi, the Soviet Union, and East Germany. Between 1975 and 1976, he served as Chairman of the Organisation of African Unity, an organization aimed at fostering African solidarity. From 1977 to 1979, Uganda was a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. During this period, Amin styled himself as "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular." Internal dissent and Amin's 1978 attempt to annex Tanzania's Kagera province triggered the Uganda–Tanzania War, resulting in his downfall. He subsequently went into exile in Libya and Saudi Arabia, where he died on 16 August 2003.
This summary is derived from the Wikipedia article on Idi Amin, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
